Citigroup Looks To Lend Money To KKR To Buy Citigroup's Loans

Let’s see if we have this straight. Citigroup wants to sell off some on the leverage loans it committed to before the credit crunch. Many of those loans were made to private equity owned companies for leverage buyouts, including companies that KKR bought. A fund managed by KKR is looking to buy the leveraged loans, which it believes are under-priced in the wake of the credit market turmoil. But everyone knows KKR doesn’t buy anything with cash: it borrows the money. So now, according to the Financial Times, Citigroup might lend money to KKR to buy Citigroup’s loans. This is very possibly the best story ever. The only way it could get better is if KKR went on to buy the loans used to buy loans from Citigroup. And, of course, Citigroup lent it the money for that. And then, well, you get the point. In the end of our fantasy, Citigroup’s stock get’s hammered by investors skeptical of this snake-eating-its-tail lending scheme. And get bought out by KKR. With loans from.... Insiders report that credit market expert Charles Ponzi has been retained as an adviser to both Citigroup and KKR for the transaction.Citigroup talks to KKR about leveraged debt [Financial Times]